eastwood



No. 617,525. Patentd .Ian. I0, I899; E. H. EASTWOOD.

POCKET MATCH BOX.

(Application filed Sept. 11, 1897.)

(No Modal.)

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

. BMAMALUV. l jfwsflw'awhm, 79.774. Gil/ ula? BY 0 g ATTORN EY-S.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EVAN H. EASTWVOOD, OF NEWARK, NEV JERSEY.

POCKET MATCH-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,525, dated January 10, 1899.

Application filed September 11, 1897. Serial No. 651,288; (No model.)

To CtZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EVAN I-I. EASTWOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark,in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pocket Match- Boxes;

and I do hereby declare the following to be a are to secure a more neat and sightly structure, to avoid the formation of seams or joints at the edges of the box, where they will be clearly perceptible to the view, to reduce the cost of construction, to render the device more easy and convenient to open to reveal the picture hidden therein and without disturbing the cover or lid covering the match-chamber, to more perfectly conceal the joint formed by the picture inclosing or covering lid, so that one not acquainted with the construction and operation of the box and picture-coverin g lid will have greater difficulty in discovering the picture, and to secure other advantages and results, some of which may be referred to hereinafter in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved box and in the arrangement and combinations of parts thereof, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the box. Fig. 2 is a similar side elevation, the lids or covers being both open; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line it.

In said drawings, Ct indicates the body of the box. This consists of two plates a a, which are more or less concavous and are soldered together at their edges, the joint being imperceptible in the finished article. Saidconoavous plates permanently joined together form the body of the box and serve as the inclosing receptacle for both the matches, and the picture, the division-plate separating the match and picture chambers. One of the concavo-convex plates at is centrally open,

the edges of the opening lying in or back from the edges of the body both at the top or match opening and at the sides and bottom of said body, producing a continuous raised or projecting flange around the outside and top of the box-body away from the interior partition, and this flange-like portion is ornamented freely by raised bosses of any suitable shape or design. These bosses extend to the edge of the central opening and serve not only as ornaments, but perform functional results hereinafter described.

To form the central opening in one of the side plates forming the body, the plate after having been pressed into shape and ornamented by raising the bosses around and near the edges is centrally struck out or perforated by a suitable die or cutter,and the plate thus removed is replaced in the opening and hinged to the body-plate at its upper end and caught at its lower end by a suitable catch (1, Fig. 3, on the inside of said body-plate. The hinged metal plate having been cut or struck out of the center of the body-plate, as described, fits nicely into the center opening, the edges thereof conforming closely to all the curvatures or irregular outlines of the bosses, and

the neat joint is concealed or obscured by the I) is pivoted. These bosses a are preferably 5 in the form of opposite scrolls and at the axes thereof they are perforatedto receive the hinge-pin. The scrolls being a little apart from one another serve to render the intermediate hinge-tongue joint unobservwe able, and the spiral lines surrounding the hinge-pin end joints also tend to obscure the construction. Again, at the bottom of the centrally open plate the overhanging flange The said bosses thus effect a useful reis perforated or slotted in the midst of a shell or similar ornamental embossing having radiating or divergent lines, so that the fingerpiece j, hereinafter referred to, serves apparently as a mere centerpiece of said shell or divergent ornament. Below the pieeej,which lies in a slight depression in the ornamental embossing of the overhanging flange,the said flange is raised in a direction approximately parallel with the bottom of the body of the box, forming a thumb-rib a", on which the thumb may rest and find a stay-bearing as the thumb-nail catches upon the piece j and forces the same downward to release the plate I). The plate 0' at the opposite side of the box is provided with a similar stay bearing or rib a to receive the forefinger of the hand. Thus by means of the ribs or stays 0 0 the body of the box can be firmly grasped and held between the thumb and finger at a point close to the bottom of the box while the thumb is engaged in releasing the plate Z) to disclose the nicely-concealed picture. At the hinged end I employ a spring 6, similar in some respects to the springs employed in watchcases, which spring presses upon an inwardly-projecting bearing 0 on the back of the cover, so as to throw said field-plate open when released by drawing the catch (Z clownward.

lVithin the box-body a is permanently fastened by solder or otherwise a plain partitionplatef, which is shaped at its edges to fit the inner walls of the box, and said partitionplate carries on its outer side, back of the opening in the side plate, a bezel g, into which a photograph, framed or otherwise, or other suitable picture, inscription, or device may be secured.

Inasmuch as the hinged field plate is formed by striking it from the center of the side plate a, I avoid the use of open joints at the outer edges of the box, where they are necessarily obvious to the view, and am able to obtain a comparatively small and ornamental cover for the inner photograph, picture, or device concealed within the box and one which will not be unduly bulky, and, furthermore, I am enabled to secure a smaller chamber or one having less depth, ample for the picture, but occupying less of the space within the box for the matches or other articles. Said field-plate fits the inwardly-extending edges of the open side plate with great neatness and perfection, and inasmuch as the plate is formed by striking out the center, as above described, the outlines of the field-plate may be very irregular to conform to the raised ornamentation on the face of said side plate, and yet no time will be required in fitting, and because of the joint at the edges of the fieldplate coinciding with the outline of the raised ornamentation said joint is more completely hidden, so that it will not be observed even with moderately-careful examination. Again, inasmuch as the partition-plate f, fastened between the body-plates c 0, lies back from the flange-like part surrounding the center opening, a chamber is formed between, into which the spring may be inserted, the chamber between the plate and partition being of sufficient width to receive the spring, so that the latter will lie hidden therein and yet be effective in automatically opening the picturecovering plate Z). The chamber between the open side plate and partition at the lower end of the body also serves to receive the catch d and parts eooperatin g therewith, holding the same largely from view when the plate 6 is open. The bezel g is diametrically smaller than the opening, so that the parti tion-plate at the outer sides of the bezel is brought clearly to view and when finished serves to give a neat backing or ground for the picture, which latter is held at the center of said ground and at the center of the opening by said bezel, all of which conduces to a neat and effective display of the picture after the same is suddenly revealed to the sight, apparently without any manipulation of mechanism other than the automatic action of the plate Z).

The end or top cover it is of any ordinary construction, being suitably hinged to the body of the box and operated by a spring '21, as before described.

The sliding catch (Z is provided with a linger-piecej, which works in a short slot in the side plate,the said finger-piece p roj eetin g from the face of the side plate to receive the finger when uncatehing the field plate or cover. As before indicated,this finger or nail piece forms a center feature of ornament and is inconspicuous. The sliding catch and the springk thereon are concealed beneath the flange-like part of the plate a, on the side of the center opening opposite that containing the hingespring e, and thus when the plate Z) is thrown open no catch will appear obviously to the view. The finger-piece is thrown to a normal position by the spring k.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The improved box comprising two plates a, a, fastened together at their meeting edges, one of said plates having raised ornamental bosses near the top edge of the box and, back from the edges of the box, which serve as hinge-pin bearings, said plates near said bosses being struck out or cut to form a central side opening, in the box, the plate or part thus struck or out out fitting nicelysaid opening in said plate and being hinged to said bosses, a catch arranged at the opposite side of the opening, a spring for automatically opening said hinged plate, a partition dividing the interior of the box into chambers one of which is open at one end of the box and the other at the side said partition being provided with a picture-holding bezel opposite the said opening, substantially as set forth.

2. The improved box comprising two 0011* cavous side plates (4, a, soldered together at IIC the edges except at one open end where said box is provided with an end cover, an inside partition fastened between said side plates and dividing theinterior of the box into separate chambers one of said side plates being open centrally back from the edges of the box, the face of the side plate around said opening having raised ornamental conformations or bosses certain of which serve as hinge-bearings and thumb-ribs, said bosses extending inward to the edge of said opening, and a hinged plate I), fitting into said opening and free to turn on its hinge, to and from a posit-ion flush with the outer face of the side plate, the edges of said plate conforming to the lines of said ornamental conformations to efiect an obscuration of the joint, and a suitable catch, substantially as set forth.

3. The improved box herein described, for matches and a concealed picture, comprising two concavons side plates joined together at their edges, excepting at their top edges Where the box-body is open, one of said plates a, being centrally open and at the top or upper end, above the center opening, having ornamental bosses serving as bearings fora hingepin, and at the opposite side of said opening having a catch, the finger-piece of which lies in a recess at the outside of the open plate, a protuberance being formed between said finger-piece and the bottom of the box-body serving as a thumb-bearing, a hinge-pin, a plate hinged on said pin and fitting in the central opening and adapted to be held by said catch and a spring for opening said hinged plate automatically when released from the catch, substantially as set forth.

4. The improved box herein described for matches and a concealed picture, comprising a body portion open at one side and at the top, a cover closing said top opening, a partition fastened within said body portion, a plate I), hinged to the open side of the body,said open side being embossed around said plate to conceal the joint, a spring for throwing said plate 1), arranged between the embossed open side of the body and thecover and bearing on said plate I), at the hinge, anda catch and which extends entirely around the opening,

and at the top and bottom of the box pro- Vides bearings for a hinge-pin and catch, said flange-like part being embossed forming raised ornaments which extend around the edges of the central opening, a cover for the end opening and a plate b, fitting in said central opening being hinged to the flange-like part of the body near the upper end opening and caught near the lower end of the box, a

catch for holding said plate closed into the center opening the finger-piece of which catch is arranged in the midst of the said raised ornaments, and a picture-holding bezel secured upon the partition back of the center opening and adapted to be covered and concealed by the plate I), and springs for throwing said plate I), open and holding saidcatch into holding engagement with the plate 19, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of August, 1897.

EVAN H. EASTWOOD. Witnesses:

CHARLES H. PELL, R. M. EVERETT. 

